Don?t End Up Fired and Broke this Christmas ? Drive Drink Free
The Leicestershire Road Safety Partnership 2009 Anti Drink Drive Campaign has been launched today at Police headquarters, Enderby. Nationally, those aged 18 to 25 test positive for drinking and driving more often than any other age group. This was echoed locally when in December 2008, 42 of the 129 of those who tested positive were aged 18 to 25.
This year?s Christmas 2009 Anti Drink Drive campaign named ?Fired and Broke? aims to get in touch with a hard core of drivers, particularly in those under 25s, who are difficult to reach. The campaign focuses consequences of drink driving disqualification, such unemployment financial drain due to fines up to £5,000 and enormous insurance costs for years after time serving a driving conviction, all of which can be extremely tough for those in the 18 to 25 age group who, are starting out in life.
This Christmas, Myles, an 18-year-old man from Leicester who is serving a nine month drink drive disqualification, tells his story in the 2009 Christmas anti-drink radio campaign. He?s hoping his message that ?drink driving is a roadblock to your future?, will influence 18 to 25s.
Myles from Leicester said: ?The driving ban will stick with me forever, you don?t realise how being disqualified affects your chances in life you feel like it?s holding you back. I?ve just finished a public services course and wanted to be a police officer. But now I?ve got a criminal record, I think that?s ruined my chances of getting into the police force.
?Drinking and driving is not just dangerous, it?s stupid; getting disqualified messes up your life. It?s just not worth it.?
Drink and drug driving is still a major factor in the loss of over 2,500 lives a year on our roads and 30,000 being seriously injured each year.
Chief Inspector Mark Newcombe of Leicestershire Constabulary Roads Policing Unit said: ?We should never forget that drinking and driving kills. Sadly, the offence is all too often, fatal.
?Drink and drug driving operations are taking place 24 hours-a-day over the month of December where officers will be breathalysing motorists and conducting roadside stops to remove drink drivers from the roads of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.?
James Gibson of the Leicestershire Road Safety Partnership said: ?Above all, put your safety and the safety of others first by taking some common sense steps: If you?re going to a work party or drinking at the pub with friends and family, leave your car at home, get a taxi or take the bus to remove the option of drinking and driving completely this Christmas.?
The Leicestershire Road Safety Partnership is requesting that communities are vigilant this Christmas, appealing for the public to call the police if they see someone who appears to have been drinking, attempt to drive a vehicle. They should call 0116 222 2222 or make a free and anonymous call to CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111*
*Some mobile phone network providers may charge for this call.
|
It is not the drink drivers as such which is the problem. I think a bigger problem is those that go out on a heavy drinking session and then drive the next morning well over the limit. There has already been countless schemes trying to target the 18-25 group and if they still don't listen I am not sure how effective this scheme will be.
I personaly drink too much on most saturday nights, so I simply don't drive at all ont he Sunday if I have been drinking a lot. Even on the Monday there may still be alchohol in my blood.
Personaly I never really got it, if I am going to drink I will get a taxi/bus/train/tram/walk/whatever. I suspect it is younger people in rural areas which are more likely to drink and drive because there is probably no night buses etc. On a Saturday night my last bus is at 3:10am so I just keep drinking knowing there is a bus I can get and if I can't be bothered with a bus a taxi is only £10.
|
Even on the Monday there may still be alchohol in my blood.
Do you drink a whole brewery or something? :-)
I am careful the next day and I do sometimes have the odd very heavy night but I honestly don't think I have ever put away enough to still have any booze left in my blood a whole 30-36 hours later!!
|
Pretty much.
A strong pint of beer contains almost 2.8 units, it takes an hour per unit to get out of your system, if I sometimes have around 8 pints of that 2.8 units so thats 22.4 units. It is rare that I would drink that much though, 15 units is more normal.
22.4 unit soudns like a lot, it is a lot, but I know of people who will have 30+ units on a nights binge, now by the Monday they could still be well over the limit.
|
'Half a pint an hour' is another way to look at it.
The body starts to deal with the alcohol as you swallow it, so it's reasonable to start counting from when you start drinking.
So, six pints consumed in a few hours from 9pm means the alcohol will not be cleared until 9am the next day.
The law allows a person to drive with some alcohol, but in the above scenario, driving to work at 7.30am is taking a bit of a chance.
Best to build in a good safety margin.
I read somewhere pilots are not meant to fly for 12 hours after even one drink, and 24 hours after the end of any sort of session.
|
It's a really good message to give out from Leicestershire but it does mean that 87 of those who tested positive were older than that, presumably.
It always worries me when I see the mindset of some people in the 40+ group, who are happy to drive after having 3 or 4 drinks because 'they've always done it'.
I have family who do it and no matter what you say to them, their attitude is that they've done it all their lives and always been alright.
Famous last words.
Pat
|
Pat
I was last breathalysed - negative - a few years ago.
Speaking to an inspector I knew a few days later confirmed your point about older people.
He said there were a hard core of drivers in their 50s and 60s who saw no harm in drink driving.
At the time I spoke to the inspector, he reckoned a lot of the younger ones had got the message and didn't drink and drive.
Looks like that's slipped back a bit since then.
|
|
|
It doesn't mention relative proportions of positive tests compared to negative ones for that group. It could be they just tested more of that age group so got more positives but the older ones had a higher percentage failure rate.
Threatening youngsters with driving bans and higher insurance just means they'll drive without it. Is there a correlation between the hardcore drinkers and the hardcore licence, insurance, tax and MOT dodgers??
Not much will stop them unless they get tagged in the first instance so they can't leave the house of an evening and are banged up if they do.
I think it would be more sensible to ban a person on the first instance of drink driving from drinking. It is the drinking that is the problem! Forcing people off the booze so they can't have any at all might be a better way. Or perhaps offering the choice. It would also reduce the hardship argument as they could choose not to drink and keep driving. If you can have doodads to monitor insulin levels then I'm sure you could have alcohol monitors.
|
Has anyone considered that mr average middle aged person ( probably male) having had say Two pints and probably marginally over the limit
Will therefore drive Very Very carefully home, at a sensible speed.
And be LESS of a hazard on the road than an inattentive chain smoking young mother with children in the car.
Or a person stinking with the cold./
Or whatever other permutation you wish to consider.
I also reckon that those who are driving while "stocious" & having or causing accidents.
Are NOT going to pay any attention to ANY campaigns.
************************
Is it correct that if I am rear ended, ie an accident NOT of my causing.
It will be attributed to me IF I test positive for alcohol?
If this is the case, it will unfairly distort the statistics.
************************
I occassionally have ONE pint, while I read the paper & banter for an hour or so & than drive home
Why am I supposed to feel like a criminal.
50 years old and clean record in all respects, not even points
Mr middle class middle age middle average male.
Cheers
M
Edited by dieseldogg on 03/12/2009 at 09:42
|
I think in fact that if a pedestrian is involved in any acident on the road, say falling off the kerb, while drunk or drunkish the accident becomes an alcohol related road accident in the statistics.
|
I am convinced more older people drink and drive. However older people if going to a session probably go to their local pubs and either walk or driving such a short distance there is less chance of being caught.
With younger people they tend to go to town/city centres in rural areas is the best way of getting there is to drive. They will also drink heavily. I think there may also be an element of the police simply stopping younger people for other reasons and then noticing they have been drinking.
In my younger days I am affraid I have probably driven over the limit. I always thought after 9 I will be fine without thinking about the science. I used to drive with my mate with L plates (all properly insured) in my first car 'Rattle'. This would have been around 10:00am after a big booze up (back then 8 pints was the norm where as now 8 is my peak and 6 is normal). I was driving down this bend on a 30 and nearly lost control. I drive down this road every day and still to this day don't understand why, I can only put it down to the booze that must have been in my body.
I never did drive on a Sunday after a big drinking session after that!
|
|
|
|
|
|
On a Saturdaynight my last bus is at 3:10am so I just keep drinking knowing there is a bus I can get and if I can't be bothered with a bus a taxi is only £10.
My last bus is at 17:45 every day except Saturday when it's 18:45 and Sunday when it just doesn't exist all day. Cab is about £8 but about at 30-45 minute queue at the rank or waiting for a radio cab. So really walk is the preferred option - would be ironic if I got knocked down by a drunk driver on the way home!
|
"I am convinced more older people drink and drive"
It depends how you define "old", but I probably agree that more mature people knowingly drink and drive in that they drive IMMEDIATELY after drinking - i.e. a couple of pints after work, or with a meal and then drive home. After a couple of hours they are probably below the limit.
However most of those young people I saw drinking pitchers of booze on Saturday night probably never thought that they were over the limit when they got up and drove to Church (!) on Sunday morning.
|
I am convinced drinking and driving is not a problem worthy of extra attention.
|
|
|
|
Young people going to church? Blimey that is a world I know nothing about :)
|
Its a tricky subjective issue. On one hand people like my mum would feel tipsy after half a glass of white wine and there's no way she would want to drive a car, yet she would be easily under the limit and legally able to drive.
My FIL on the other hand often has two pints in a country pub then drives and he appears perfectly sober and it has no obvious effect on his driving but he could be borderline on a breath test.
Perhaps the current limit is just fine and the law doesnt need changing just better enforcement or stronger punisments to try to act as a deterrent?
Perhaps the limit needs lowering in which case more drivers will probably get caught and have their lives changed forever as a result.
Perhaps there is a need for a zero alcohol limit and be done with it.
|
|
Anyone got the nationwide stats on who are the worst offenders (as Rattle seems to be tarring all us oldies with the same brush at the moment!!)...
|
|
I am not saying that at all, all I am saying is there does seem to be an attitude difference between the older and younger people about drink driving. I think far less younger people drink drive, but when they do they tend to be a lot more drunk and get caught.
|
Quote:
"I am convinced more older people drink and drive"
Than who? Younger people?!
And then there's drug/driving which I suspect is mainly younger people and just as lethal...
But as I said it would be useful to have the stats rather than make generalisations, which this thread seems full of, including mine just then!
Edited by b308 on 03/12/2009 at 17:10
|
|
Generalisations eh? They're all the same.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
